VPN Protocols

What Are VPN Protocols?

A VPN protocol determines exactly how your data routes between your computer and the VPN server. There are different ways that the data is encrypted and the technology has advanced over time – that’s why we see a variety of options.

Protocols have different specifications, offering benefits to users in a range of circumstances. For instance, some prioritize speed, while others focus on privacy and security.

SaferVPN Supports These VPN Protocols

We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to help you decide which one is best for you.

IKEv2

The most advanced and newest VPN protocol. It's known as the fastest of all the protocols and is secure, stable, and easy to setup. However, it's not supported on all platforms.

Internet Key Exchange version 2 is the newest VPN protocol and based on IPSec tunneling protocol. Jointly developed by Microsoft and Cisco, it is baked into Windows 7+.

Pros

Fastest VPN protocol.

Very secure.

Easy to setup on user end.

Very stable in particular if switching network or reconnecting after losing your Internet connection.

Cons

Limited in configuration (no UDP ports).

Not supported on old platforms.

Supported by

All platforms: iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, Android (Native application).

Encryption

AES – 256-bit for Data and SHA256 for Control Messages.

Speed

IKEv2 is faster than most VPN protocols. Support for the Mobility and Multihoming Protocol makes it highly resilient and stable.

Security

It's the newest VPN protocol, implemented over IPSec and considered highly secure.

Conclusion

Using this method and IPSec gives support for strong authentication and encryption methods. Its overall performance is very fast, secure and stable.

OpenVPN

The recommended protocol for all platforms, OpenVPN has the highest performance and security level overall.

OpenVPN is an open source VPN solution that uses various technologies, including the OpenSSL library and SSLv3/TLSv1 encryption protocols. It is highly configurable and can be set to run on any port, although it runs best on a UDP port. It is considered difficult to block as it makes traffic on it impossible to differentiate from traffic using standard HTTPS over SSL.

Supported by

Encryption

Speed

Even on connections with high latency and across great distances it still has great speed, making this the best performing protocol.

Security

OpenVPN can be considered truly secure when used with a strong cipher and ephemeral keys.

Conclusion

OpenVPN is fast, secure and reliable as well as supported by Android tablets and mobile devices. Therefore it is the protocol of choice for maximum security and speed.

L2TP/IPSec

The Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol is available on all modern platforms and is easy to setup. This protocol is usually considered very secure. L2TP is a good option if OpenVPN or IKEv2 aren’t available. Its speed is a bit slower than the other protocols, but the connection it provides is highly secure.

Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol is a VPN protocol that, when implemented with the IPsec encryption suite, provides encryption and confidentiality for traffic passing through it. L2TP over IPsec is as easy and quick to set up as PPTP and is built-in to most modern operating systems.

Supported by

Encryption

Speed

L2TP/IPSec has tunneling overhead but is still fast due to encryption/decryption efficiency.

Security

IPSec encryption has no major known vulnerabilities when properly implemented.

Conclusion

Theoretically offers the best security in comparison to other protocols. Its ability to bypass network restrictions makes it a good alternative when OpenVPN is not supported.

PPTP

The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol gives you a fast connection due to a very basic encryption. It is also very easy to setup.

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol was developed by Microsoft for creating VPN over dial-up networks. It has long been the standard protocol for internal business VPNs. PPTP is a VPN protocol only and has a quick implementation due to low computational overhead requirements.

Cons

Supported by

Encryption

MPPE – 128-bit

Speed

Highest speed due to basic encryption, but can result in unstable connections.

Security

Several known security vulnerabilities found in PPTP implementation.

Conclusion

PPTP is easy to setup and use with good speed. It runs with most desktops, tablets and mobile systems. While it may be less secure than other VPN protocols, it's a good choice if your device doesnt run with OpenVPN.

How to Choose the Best VPN Protocol

Automatic Expert Selection

As SaferVPN supports a range of VPN protocols, it can be mind-boggling knowing which one is best.
So the SaferVPN app automatically selects the VPN protocol best suited to your network, utilizing all available protocol types. Тhis setting is 'on' by default, so click and relax knowing you're protected by expert technology.

Manual Selection

If you’re not using the app, and accessing the VPN through your router, then we suggest you try the following protocols in this order:

1. IKEv2

2. OpenVPN

3. L2TP

4. PPTP (though it is less recommended due to its weaker encryption)

Perfect Forward Secrecy

Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) is a valuable feature that enhances encryption security. Unlike weaker encryption protocols that use the same VPN encryption key over and over, PFS generates a new, completely unique encryption key at the start of every session.

At SaferVPN, we’re rotating encryption keys every 60 minutes, adding an extra layer of preemptive security so that our users feel safer and more secure than ever before!

Try Our VPN Software Risk-Free

You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain with our intuitive VPN software and 30-day money-back guarantee. For the fastest and simplest VPN app, look no further than SaferVPN.

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Our Mission

At SaferVPN, our mission is to provide secure, private and uncensored Internet access to anyone, anywhere. To do so, we are pushing the boundaries to deliver the simplest, fastest and safest Virtual Private Network experience.